Living Traditions, a two-day conference reviewing the present and future of Scotland’s indigenous crafts is taking place at the Birnam Institute in Perthshire on 28 and 29 September 2005.

Indigenous crafts represent skills and trades originally acquired and practiced out of necessity - historically, they reflect locally available materials and resource.  Contemporary practice of these crafts is based on received traditions and, today, they continue to offer a livelihood to a significant number of people and additionally represent a positive image of Scotland's cultural inheritance.

The Living Traditions conference will report and reflect on developments since the New Makars conference which was held in Inverness in 1996 and was an outcome of an independent survey commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council in 1994 of crafts which have their origins in the indigenous cultures of Scotland. 

One of the most significant developments has been the participations of weavers, hand knitters, a bagpipe maker and boat builder amongst others in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2003 in Washington DC, when several million US tourists converged on the city to enjoy and learn from the activities offered by this annual event highlighting diverse world cultures.  The Curator of the festival, Dr. Nancy Groce, is keynote speaker at the Living Traditions conference and bagpipe maker Hamish Moore and silversmith Graham Stewart, who participated in the event, will also be speaking about their experiences.

Funding from Scottish Executive and Heritage Lottery has led to the professional development of different makers groups, and there will be presentations about their experiences from Valerie Pragnell of the Scottish Basketmakers Circle and Colin Adamson of Contemporary Violin Makers Scotland.  Mary Norton will talk about the Grimsay Boat Project in North Uist where the Stewart family had continued a local boat building tradition.  Funding has enabled the transference of skills to a new master craftsman and apprentices, and the development of a boat building and practical maintenance facility. 

Conference organiser Louise Butler explains “These projects have not only given individuals a more sustainable livelihood but have helped to secure a future for particular crafts and led to interest and awareness which has also had a positive impact on tourism and the local economy.  They demonstrate the tangible benefits of supporting the traditional crafts and the conference aims to generate lively and informed discussion about their future.”

Other speakers at the conference include Kathy Hubbard and Hazel Hughson of Shetland Arts, furniture designer Tom Hawson, who will discuss his new product work with makers in Iceland and Dr Helen Bennett, head of crafts at the Scottish Arts Council, who are committed to supporting traditional arts and artists.

The conference is taking place at the Birnam Institute, Birnam, by Dunkeld, Perthshire.  The delegate fee for attending the conference is £50 and the deadline for booking a place is 20 September 2005.  Further information and a booking form can be downloaded from Opportunities and Training.